SOCIOL 1A06 Study Guide - Social Movement Organization, Social Change, Radical Change
16 Apr 2013
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Chapter 18- collective action, social movements and social change. Collective action is an action that takes place in groups and diverges from the social norms of the situation. Crowd collective action takes place when members of a group are face-to-face. Mass collective action is collective action in which close physical proximity is not necessary such as a letter writing campaign. According to convergence theory, collective action happens when people with similar ideas and tendencies gather in the same place. This theory does not explain the inconsistency of group action why collective action sometimes happens under such circumstances and other times does not. According to contagion theory, collective action arises because of people"s tendency to conform to the behaviour of others. This theory downplays individual agency and does not explain the inconsistency of group action. Emergent norm theory emphasizes the influence of leaders in promoting particular norms that members of a group then follow.
